{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nMaria Brewer is a Democratic candidate running for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Tennessee [1]. She is currently on the ballot in the Democratic primary scheduled for August 6, 2026 [1]. The general election for this seat is set to occur on November 3, 2026 [1].\n\nBrewer\u2019s campaign describes her as an activist and organizer who is \"raising my voice for democracy\" against what she characterizes as the billionaire class that owns Washington [6]. She maintains a presence on social media platforms including TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook under the name Maria Brewer for US Senate [4][6]. The campaign facilitates voter registration through the GoVoteTN App and accepts donations via ActBlue [6].\n\nPrior to this candidacy, Brewer served as a career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, holding the rank of Minister-Counselor [2][3]. Her diplomatic career includes service as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Sierra Leone from 2017 to 2021 and as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Lesotho [2][3]. As of May 13, 2024, she was serving as the Deputy Director at the Foreign Service Institute within the U.S. Department of State [2].\n\n## Background and education\n\nMaria Brewer is a career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor [2]. She has served in various diplomatic roles, including as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Lesotho and previously as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Sierra Leone from 2017 to 2021 [2][3]. Her earlier career included serving as Deputy Chief of Mission and Charg\u00e9 at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, and as a leader of the management team at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan [3].\n\nBrewer holds a connection to Indiana University\u2019s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, where she has engaged with students regarding global competencies and her diplomatic career [5]. She self-describes on her campaign materials as an activist, organizer, daughter, mom, and wife [6].\n\n## Career\n\nMaria Brewer is a career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, holding the rank of Minister-Counselor [2]. Her diplomatic career includes service as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Sierra Leone from 2017 to 2021 and as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Lesotho [2][3]. Prior to her ambassadorial roles, she served as the Deputy Director in the Office of Career Development and Assignments for the State Department, as well as Deputy Chief of Mission and Charg\u00e9 at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, and as a leader of the management team at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan [2][3].\n\nIn May 2024, Brewer was appointed as the Deputy Director at the Foreign Service Institute [2]. Her professional background is described by her campaign as that of an activist and organizer [6]. She has engaged with academic institutions to share her diplomatic experience, including visiting the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies at Indiana University in March 2026 to discuss global competencies and career paths [5].\n\n## Office history\n\nMaria Brewer is a career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor [2]. She currently serves as the Deputy Director at the Foreign Service Institute, a role she assumed on May 13, 2024 [2]. Prior to this appointment, she served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Lesotho [2][3]. Her previous diplomatic postings included serving as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Sierra Leone from 2017 to 2021 [2][3]. Earlier in her State Department career, Brewer held positions including Deputy Director in the Office of Career Development and Assignments, Deputy Chief of Mission and Charg\u00e9 of the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, and a leadership role on the management team at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan [2][3].\n\nBrewer is running for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Tennessee as a member of the Democratic Party [1]. She appears on the ballot for the Democratic primary scheduled for August 6, 2026, with the general election set for November 3, 2026 [1]. Brewer self-describes as an activist and organizer [6].\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\n\nMaria Brewer\u2019s professional wealth has been derived primarily from her long career in the U.S. Foreign Service rather than private business ownership or inheritance. She is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor [2]. Her financial disclosures and public records reflect income from federal government service, including roles such as Deputy Director at the Foreign Service Institute [2], U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Lesotho [3], and U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Sierra Leone from 2017 to 2021 [2].\n\nBrewer has not held significant private business ownership stakes or sold major commercial enterprises that would constitute a primary source of personal wealth. Instead, her campaign narrative focuses on her background as an activist and organizer, positioning herself against the \"billionaire class that owns Washington\" [6]. She self-describes in her campaign materials as a \"daughter, mom, wife,\" emphasizing her personal and civic identity over private financial accumulation [6].\n\nAs a current candidate for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee, Brewer is subject to federal financial disclosure requirements associated with her government service and political candidacy. Specific details regarding her personal investment portfolio or real estate holdings are not detailed in the provided source materials, which instead highlight her diplomatic career and campaign fundraising channels through platforms like ActBlue [6]. Her wealth source is thus characterized by public sector compensation and political fundraising rather than private equity or business sales.\n\n## Family\n\nMaria Brewer self-describes as a \"daughter, mom, wife\" [6]. Publicly available records do not identify her spouse or children as public figures themselves, nor do they list immediate family members holding political office.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Maria Brewer (Tennessee)](https://ballotpedia.org/Maria_Brewer_(Tennessee))\n[2] [Maria Brewer - United States Department of State](https://2021-2025.state.gov/biographies/maria-brewer/)\n[3] [Ambassador Maria E. Brewer - U.S. Embassy in Lesotho](https://ls.usembassy.gov/ambassador-maria-e-brewer/)\n[4] [Maria Brewer for US Senate | Nashville TN](https://www.facebook.com/MariaBrewerforSenate)\n[5] [Every door leads to the next: Ambassador Maria Brewer inspires Hamilton Lugar students: Hamilton Lugar School : Indiana University](https://news.iu.edu/hamiltonlugar/live/news/50287-every-door-leads-to-the-next-ambassador-maria)\n[6] [Maria Brewer for US Senate | TikTok, Instagram, Facebook | Linktree](https://linktr.ee/mariabrewerforsenate)","campaigns":[{"contest":"us_senate_class_2","county":"Anderson","county_count":95,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"primary","state":"TN","title":"US Senate (Class 2)"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Maria","fullname":"Maria Brewer","lastname":"Brewer","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"us_senate_class_2","contest_title":"US Senate (Class 2)","county":"Anderson","county_count":95,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"us_senate_class_2","office_title":null,"party":"D","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":null,"party":"D","primary":{"contest":"us_senate_class_2","contest_title":"US Senate (Class 2)","county":"Anderson","county_count":95,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"us_senate_class_2","office_title":null,"party":"D","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"},"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"us_senate_class_2","office_title":"US Senate (Class 2)","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Maria E. Brewer is a former U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone and Lesotho who is running for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee as a Democrat.","terms":[],"token":"8CZbpMuWIL"}